CN109661214B

CN109661214B - Method for detecting attachment head installation and removal

Info

Publication number: CN109661214B
Application number: CN201780050300.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 彭萌
Original assignee: Koninklijke Philips NV
Current assignee: Koninklijke Philips NV
Priority date: 2016-08-19
Filing date: 2017-08-15
Publication date: 2021-10-29
Anticipated expiration: 2037-08-15
Also published as: WO2018033547A1; CN109661214A; JP7068268B2; EP3500210A1; EP3500210B1; US20200121431A1; RU2741463C2; KR102541909B1; US11058525B2; RU2019107601A; RU2019107601A3; JP2019528098A; KR20190042617A

Abstract

A drive train assembly (100, 200) for a personal care appliance (10), the drive train assembly comprising: a resonator (110) connected to a transmission member (24) configured to transmit oscillations to the detachable accessory; and a drive coil (120) configured to oscillate the resonator in a first direction; wherein the drive coil is configured to generate an installation signal or a removal signal in response to installation or removal of the detachable accessory, the installation or removal of the detachable accessory generating movement of the resonator in a second direction; and wherein the drive train component is configured to communicate the generated signal to the controller.

Description

Method for detecting attachment head installation and removal

Technical Field

The present disclosure generally relates to a method for detecting the attachment or detachment of an attachment head of a personal care appliance.

Background

Electrically powered personal care devices, such as electric toothbrushes, electric skin cleaners, electric personal groomers and electric shavers, have been shown to greatly improve efficiency during cleaning.

These powered personal care appliances have a motor that engages the drive train to drive the accessories in an oscillating, reciprocating, or other mode. The device further comprises a resonator, which is a component of a drive train that converts the oscillating force of the motor into a rotational movement. The actuation force excites resonance of the system, which in turn drives the appendage head. The accessory is typically a cleaning or cosmetic mechanism, such as a toothbrush head, a razor cutting device, a cosmetic cutting head, or a skin cleaning brush head.

In most personal care appliances, the oscillating or reciprocating attachments are removable and replaceable. For example, when cleaning devices or attaching accessory heads with different functions (i.e., tongue cleaning brush head and toothbrush head), the accessory may be temporarily detached; or the accessory may be permanently removed for replacement with a new accessory or a different accessory. If the personal care device is enabled with the accessory detached, the system can no longer be fine tuned and additional and unwanted sound and/or vibration can be generated, reducing performance reliability and negatively impacting the user experience.

Thus, there is a need for a personal care appliance that can detect whether an accessory has been installed or removed and can respond accordingly to this condition.

Disclosure of Invention

The present disclosure relates to an inventive method for detecting the mounting or dismounting of a detachable or exchangeable accessory of a personal care apparatus. For use in an electric personal care device or powered personal care device, such as an electric toothbrush or electric shaver, the system of the present invention provides a mechanism for modifying the operation of the personal care device depending on the detected status of a removable or replaceable accessory. The drive train components of personal care devices typically include a resonator suspended in a frame. The resonator moves relative to the oscillation plane of the head when the accessory is mounted or dismounted. The resonator then moves back to the initial position in the oscillation damping. The movement of the magnet on the resonator generates an electromotive force in the drive coil that is detected by the drive train component and interpreted as a mounting or dismounting of the accessory. The system can then implement various actions depending on the installation status of the accessory. For example, the device may implement different operating conditions based on accessory status in order to reduce unwanted noise and vibration that may accompany operation without an accessory installed. The device may also perform a self-tuning process when it detects that a new accessory has been installed.

In general, in one aspect, a drive train assembly for a personal care appliance is provided. The drive train assembly includes: a resonator connected to a transmission configured to transmit oscillations to a detachable accessory; and a driving coil configured to oscillate the resonator in a first direction; wherein the drive coil is configured to generate a mounting signal or a dismounting signal in response to mounting or dismounting of the detachable attachment member, wherein the mounting or dismounting of the detachable attachment member generates movement of the resonator in the second direction; wherein the drive train component is configured to communicate the generated signal to the controller.

According to an embodiment, the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

According to an embodiment, the controller is configured to interpret the signal as an installation or removal of the detachable accessory.

According to an embodiment, the controller is further configured to filter out components of the received signal, the components comprising a signal generated by oscillation of the resonator in the first direction.

According to an embodiment, the controller is further configured to perform a wake-up function in response to receiving the generated signal.

According to an embodiment, the controller is further configured to determine which user of the plurality of users is installing or removing the detachable accessory based on the received signal.

According to another aspect, a personal care appliance is provided. The personal care appliance comprises: a controller; a detachable accessory; and a drive train assembly, the drive train assembly comprising: a resonator connected to a transmission configured to transmit oscillations to a detachable accessory; and a driving coil configured to oscillate the resonator in a first direction; wherein the drive train component is configured to generate a signal in response to installation or removal of the detachable accessory, wherein the installation or removal of the detachable accessory generates movement of the resonator in a second direction; wherein the controller is configured to receive the generated signal and is further configured to interpret the signal as an installation or removal of the detachable accessory.

According to an embodiment, the drive coil generates a signal in response to installation or removal of the removable accessory.

According to another aspect, there is provided a method of detecting the mounting or dismounting of a detachable attachment member of a personal care apparatus, the method comprising the steps of: (i) providing a personal care appliance comprising: a detachable attachment member, a resonator connected to a transmission configured to transmit oscillations to a detachable accessory, and a drive coil configured to oscillate the resonator in a first direction; (ii) generating a mounting signal or a dismounting signal, wherein the mounting signal or the dismounting signal is generated by the resonator in response to a movement of mounting or dismounting the detachable accessory in the second direction; (iii) transmitting the generated mounting signal or the dismounting signal to a controller of the personal care appliance; and (iv) interpreting, by the controller, the generated signal as the user's installation or removal of the removable accessory.

According to an embodiment, the method further comprises the step of: filtering, by the controller, a component of the received signal, the component comprising a signal generated by oscillation of the resonator in a first direction.

According to an embodiment, the method further comprises the step of: in response to receiving the generated signal, a wake-up function is enabled by the personal care device.

According to an embodiment, the method further comprises the step of: determining which user of the plurality of users is installing or removing the removable accessory based on the received signal.

It should be understood that all combinations of the foregoing concepts and additional concepts discussed in greater detail below (provided that these concepts do not contradict each other) are considered a part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein. In particular, all combinations of claimed subject matter appearing at the end of this disclosure are considered part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein.

These and other aspects of the invention are apparent from and will be elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter.

Drawings

In the drawings, like reference numerals generally refer to like parts throughout the different views. Furthermore, the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead generally being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a personal care appliance according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a drive train assembly of a personal care appliance according to an embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a drive train assembly of a personal care appliance according to an embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a drive train assembly of a personal care appliance according to an embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a drive train assembly of a personal care appliance according to an embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a drive train assembly of a personal care appliance according to an embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a graph of a voltage signal received from a drive train component of a personal care appliance, under an embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a graph of a voltage signal received from a drive train component of a personal care appliance, under an embodiment.

Fig. 9 is a flow diagram of a method for detecting the installation or removal of a detachable or replaceable accessory of a personal care device, according to an embodiment.

Detailed Description

The present disclosure describes various embodiments of a method for detecting the installation or removal of a removable or replaceable accessory of a personal care device. More generally, applicants have recognized and appreciated that it would be beneficial to provide a personal care appliance that is responsive to the mounting status of a detachable accessory. Accordingly, the systems described or otherwise contemplated herein provide a personal care device, such as an electric toothbrush, an electric skin cleaner, an electric grooming device, or an electric shaver, wherein the drive train assembly includes a resonator suspended in a frame. When the accessory is mounted or dismounted, the resonator moves relative to the oscillation direction of the accessory. The resonator then moves back to the initial position in the oscillation damping. The movement of the magnet on the resonator generates an electromotive force in the drive coil that is detected by the drive train component and interpreted as a mounting or dismounting of the accessory.

According to various embodiments, a system described or otherwise contemplated herein implements various actions depending on a detected installation state of an accessory. For example, the device may implement different operating conditions based on accessory status in order to reduce unwanted noise and vibration that may accompany operation without an accessory installed. The device may also perform a self-tuning process when it detects that a new accessory has been installed.

A particular object with the embodiments and implementations herein is to provide a drive train assembly for a personal care device, such as, for example, Philips sonic, such as^TMToothbrush (manufactured by Koninklijke Philips Electronics, nevada), although the assembly may be used with many other personal care devices, including tongue scrapers, flossers, shavers, and many others.

Referring to fig. 1, in one embodiment, a personal care appliance 10 is provided that includes a body portion 12 and an attachment 14. The attachment 14 may include a brush head 16 (such as the brush head shown here) or other cleaning or cosmetic attachment at its end remote from the body portion.

The attachment 14 is mounted for movement relative to the body portion 12. The movement may be any of a number of different movements, including vibration or rotation, etc.

The body portion 12 generally includes a

drive train

100, 200 having a motor for generating motion; and a transmission member 24 or drive train shaft for transmitting the generated motion to the attachment 14. For example, the

drive train

100, 200 includes a motor or one or more electromagnets that generate movement of the drive member 24 that is then transmitted to the accessory 14. The

drive train

100, 200 may include components such as a motor, a power source, an oscillator, and one or more electromagnets. In this embodiment, the power source comprises one or more rechargeable batteries (not shown) that can be charged, for example, in a charging holder in which the personal care apparatus 10 can be placed when the personal care apparatus 10 is not in use. According to one embodiment, the accessory 14 is mounted to the drive train shaft 24 so as to be capable of vibrating relative to the body portion 12. The attachment 14 is removably mounted so that the attachment 14 can be replaced with a different attachment for different operating characteristics, or when one or more components of the attachment become worn and need to be replaced.

The body portion 12 is also provided with a user input 26 to activate and deactivate the

drive train

100, 200. The user input 26 allows a user to operate the personal care device 10, for example, to turn the personal care device 10 on or off. The user input 26 may be, for example, a button, a touch screen, or a switch.

The body portion 12 of the device may also include a controller 30. The controller 30 may be formed of one or more modules and is configured to operate the personal care device 10 in response to inputs, such as those obtained by a user. Controller 30 may include, for example, a processor 32 and a memory 34, and may optionally include a connection module 38. The processor 32 may take any suitable form, including but not limited to a microcontroller, a plurality of microcontrollers, a circuit, a single processor, or a plurality of processors. The memory 34 may take any suitable form, including non-volatile memory and/or RAM. The nonvolatile memory may include a Read Only Memory (ROM), a Hard Disk Drive (HDD), or a Solid State Drive (SSD). The memory may store an operating system, etc. The processor uses RAM to temporarily store data. According to one embodiment, the operating system may contain code that, when executed by the controller 30, controls the operation of the hardware components of the personal care device 10. According to an embodiment, connection module 38 communicates data and may be any module, device, or apparatus capable of communicating wired or wireless signals, including but not limited to Wi-Fi, bluetooth, near field communication, and/or cellular modules.

Referring to fig. 2, in one embodiment, is a simplified drive train assembly 100 of the personal care appliance 10, the drive train assembly 100 including an electromagnetic drive system. The drive train assembly 100 comprises a resonator 110, which resonator 110 may be suspended within an electromagnetic actuator, for example. For example, the drive train assembly 100 may include one or more magnetic drive coils 120, the magnetic drive coils 120 acting as an actuator configured to exert a rotational electromagnetic force on the resonator 110. In fig. 2, in one embodiment, the resonator 110 is circular and suspended within a surrounding drive coil 120. In fig. 3, in one embodiment, the resonator interacts with a magnetic drive coil 120 at one end. All or part of the resonator 110 may be a spring, such as a torsion spring, that enables or enhances oscillation of the drive train component.

At one end of the resonator 110, the drive component is shown, in this case, as an elongated shaft 24, which is connected to or otherwise interacts with the accessory 14. The oscillations of the resonator 110 are transferred to the drive train shaft 24, which in turn is transferred to the accessory 14 (shown in FIG. 1).

Referring to fig. 4, in one embodiment, is a drive train assembly 200 of a personal care appliance, the drive train assembly 200 including an electromagnetic drive system. This embodiment of drive train assembly 200 is a resonant system in which the drive system is driven by electromagnetic motor 120 at a frequency at or very close to the resonant frequency of the mechanical drive system. Thus, the drive train assembly 200 includes an elongated drive shaft 24 that transmits oscillations to the detachable accessory 14. At the end opposite the attachment, the elongated drive shaft is connected to or otherwise interacts with an output mass 40.

The drive train assembly 200 includes a resonator 110, which resonator 110 may be suspended within an electromagnetic actuator, for example. According to this embodiment, a portion of resonator 110 is shaft 130 and a portion of resonator is spring assembly 140, spring assembly 140 coupling electromagnetic machine 120 to output mass 40 and/or elongate shaft 24. Spring assembly 140 may be suspended between electromagnetic motor 120 and output mass 40 and/or elongate shaft 24, or spring assembly 140 may be mounted to housing 12 in a nodal manner.

According to an embodiment, the electromagnetic drive coil or motor 120 of fig. 2-4 is connected to the controller 30 such that signals may be communicated between the electromagnetic drive coil or motor 120 and the controller 30. The controller sends a signal to the electromagnetic drive coil or motor 120, which causes the electromagnetic drive coil or motor 120 to cause one or more magnets of the motor to oscillate the resonator 110. However, as described herein, the controller 30 may also receive signals from the electromagnetic drive coil or motor 120 when the suspended resonator is moving in a direction other than the oscillating motion direction of the resonator. This movement of the resonator induces an electromagnetic signal in the drive coil or motor, which can then be detected and interpreted by the controller 30. According to one embodiment, the resonator is moved in a direction perpendicular to the functional oscillatory movement of the resonator. According to another embodiment, the resonator is moved in a direction which is not perpendicular to the functional oscillatory movement of the resonator.

Referring to FIG. 5, in one embodiment, is a drive train assembly 100 in which an oscillating force is exerted on a resonator 110. The force is exerted by the magnetic interaction between one or more magnets or drive coils of electromagnetic motor 120 and one or more magnets of resonator 110, causing the resonator to oscillate back and forth about the central axis of the resonator, as indicated by arrow 170. The oscillation 170 of the resonator is transferred to the elongated drive shaft 24, which in turn transfers the oscillation to the attachment 14 (not shown), where cleaning, scrubbing, flossing, shaving, cosmetic or other action takes place.

Referring to FIG. 6, in one embodiment, is a drive train assembly 100 in which an installation or removal force 180 is applied to the system. For example, the user may determine that accessory 14 should be removed for cleaning or to replace accessory 14 with a new accessory. The user exerts a disassembly force 180 on the accessory, which disassembly force 180 pulls the elongated drive shaft 24 and resonator 110 in a second direction, including but not limited to a vertical direction, such as the direction shown in fig. 6, relative to the oscillating force 170 of the drive train assembly shown in fig. 5. This movement of the resonator 110 temporarily produces a relative movement between the one or more magnets of the resonator 110 and the drive coil 120, which generates an electromotive force in the drive coil 120. The electromotive force generates a signal that can be communicated to the controller 30.

Similarly, when the user determines that a cleaned or new attachment 14 should be installed, the user exerts an installation force 180 on the attachment that urges the elongate drive shaft 24 and resonator 110 in a second direction, including but not limited to the vertical direction, relative to the drive train assembly oscillatory force 170. This movement of the resonator 110 temporarily produces a relative movement between the one or more magnets of the resonator 110 and the drive coil 120, which generates an electromotive force in the drive coil 120. The electromotive force generates a signal that can be communicated to the controller 30.

Referring to fig. 7, there is a graph 700 of the voltage of the drive coil, which can be monitored and/or detected by the controller. At time 710, the user exerts a disassembly force 180 on the accessory, the disassembly force 180 pulling the elongated drive shaft and resonator in a second direction, including but not limited to a vertical direction, relative to the drive train assembly oscillatory force 170. This movement of the resonator temporarily produces relative motion between the one or more magnets of the resonator and the drive coil, which produces an electromotive force in the drive coil to generate a voltage signal. As shown in fig. 7, as the resonator oscillates in the drive coil in a second direction relative to the operational oscillatory force 170, the voltage signal peaks quickly and then oscillates back to a lower level.

Referring to fig. 8, there is a graph 800 of the voltage of the drive coil, which can be monitored and/or detected by the controller. At time 810, the user exerts a mounting force 180 on the accessory, which mounting force 180 urges the elongated drive shaft and resonator in a second direction, including but not limited to a vertical direction, relative to the oscillating force 170 of the drive train assembly. This movement of the resonator temporarily produces relative motion between the one or more magnets of the resonator and the drive coil, which produces an electromotive force in the drive coil to generate a voltage signal. As shown in fig. 8, as the resonator oscillates within the drive coil in a second direction relative to the operational oscillatory force 170, the voltage signal peaks quickly and then oscillates back to a lower level.

According to an embodiment, and as indicated by comparing

graphs

700 and 800, controller 30 may be configured to differentiate between an installation force and a removal force. For example, the installation and removal forces may generate or otherwise produce different voltage signal waveforms, such as those seen in

graphs

700 and 800, respectively, which may be detected and interpreted by the controller. In conventional systems, if the moment of inertia of the detachable accessory is relatively small compared to the moment of inertia of the entire system, the natural frequency shift due to the presence or absence of the accessory may be very small and may be susceptible to noise. However, the systems and methods described herein do not have this problem because the detection is independent of the moment of inertia and the primary function and oscillation characteristics. Thus, according to the systems and methods described herein, the personal care device can detect the attachment and detachment of the accessory even though the drive train is generating the primary oscillation to move the accessory.

Referring to fig. 9, in one embodiment, is a method 900 for detecting the installation or removal of a removable or replaceable accessory of the personal care device 10. At step 910 of the method, a personal care device is provided. The personal care device 10 may be any of the personal care devices described or otherwise contemplated herein, including, but not limited to, oral care devices, shavers, beauty aids, flossers, skin care devices, or any of a wide variety of other devices having removable and/or replaceable attachments. For example, the personal care appliance 10 may include a body portion 12 and a detachable and/or replaceable accessory 14. The personal care appliance 10 may comprise a

drive train

100, 200 having an electromagnetic drive coil or motor 120 for generating an oscillating motion of the resonator 110; and a transmission member 24 or shaft for transmitting the generated motion to the attachment 14. Electromagnetic machine 120 is in communication with controller 30 for receiving and transmitting electrical signals.

At step 920 of the method, the user applies an installation or removal force 180 on the accessory 14. For example, a user may remove the head 14 of the toothbrush to clean or replace the head. As another example, a user may mount or place cutting head attachment 14 onto shaver 10. For example, if the user is applying the detachment force 180 on the accessory by pulling, the elongate shaft 24 and the resonator 110 are pulled in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the oscillating force 170 of the drive train assembly. If the user is exerting the mounting force 180 on the accessory by pushing, the elongate shaft 24 and the resonator 110 are pushed in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the oscillating force 170 of the drive train assembly. When the pulling and pushing forces move one or more components of the drive train assembly in opposite directions to each other, both directions are substantially perpendicular to the oscillating force 170 of the drive train assembly.

At step 930 of the method, a signal is generated in response to movement of the resonator 110 relative to the drive coil 120. Movement of the resonator 110, either by user push (attachment mounting) or by user pull (attachment detachment), temporarily produces relative movement between the magnet or magnets of the resonator and the drive coil, which produces an electromotive force in the drive coil to generate a voltage signal. In general, when the resonator 110 oscillates in the second direction within the drive coil 120 relative to the operational oscillatory force 170, the voltage signal rises rapidly and then oscillates back to a lower level.

At step 940 of the method, the generated signal is communicated to the controller 30 of the personal care device 10. According to an embodiment, the drive coil 120 is in wired and/or wireless communication with the controller 30 and is configured to receive signals from and transmit signals to the controller. For example, the drive coil 120 will receive a signal from the controller 30 during normal operation of the personal care device in order to generate the oscillating force 170.

At optional step 942 of the method, the operational signal component of the drive coil 120 is filtered from the signal received by the controller in order to isolate and/or amplify the installation signal or removal signal component of the signal received by the controller. For example, the controller 30 may be programmed to filter the operating signal from the signal. Alternatively, another aspect of the drive train assembly, controller or personal care appliance may include filtering components to perform signal processing. Any signal processing device or process may be used to remove the operating signal from the signal, thereby reducing background noise and enhancing detection and interpretation of the installation or removal signal components of the signal. According to another embodiment, the system may include a signal amplifier configured to amplify a portion or all of the signal received by the controller.

At optional step 944 of the method, a signal generated in response to the movement of the resonator 110 relative to the drive coil 120 and communicated to the controller 30 of the personal care device enables a wake-up function or wake-up device or wake-up process that can wake-up the system in response to the signal even when the device has been turned off. Thus, the device may be enabled when a user installs or removes an accessory.

At step 950 of the method, the system interprets the transmitted signal as a mounting force or a removal force. Differences in the strength, pattern, or other parameters of the transmitted signals may be indicative of a wide variety of different events, forces, or actions of the system. For example, according to one embodiment of the system, the disassembly force may be higher than the assembly force, wherein the peak and total amplitude resulting from disassembly is higher than the peak and total amplitude resulting from assembly. In practice, the highest peak amplitude of disassembly and assembly may include opposite signs indicating that the disassembly direction and the assembly direction are different. For example, in FIG. 7, the highest peak of the removal force is near-0.15, while in FIG. 8, the highest peak of the installation force is near + 0.05. These are merely examples and many variations are possible.

Thus, other information may be extracted based on the varying characteristics of the signal generated in response to the installation or removal force. For example, varying stiffness may result in different frequencies and/or peak amplitudes. Different damping of the system may result in different attenuation lengths of the generated signal. Many other variations and the following explanations are possible. For example, if two users share a personal care device with their own accessory that is installed and removed for each use, the system may detect not only the time of installation or removal of the device, but also which user is installing or removing his accessory based on one or more of a variety of possible parameters, including the magnitude of the force and/or the oscillation pattern.

At step 960 of the method, it is determined that an accessory of a personal care device can be installed or removed for one or more downstream applications. For example, this information may be used to indicate that a new accessory needs to be adjusted or an accessory that is reinstalled. Many other applications are possible with determining the mounting or dismounting of an accessory of a personal care device.

All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood to control dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and/or ordinary meanings of the defined terms.

The indefinite articles "a" and "an" as used in this specification and the claims are understood to mean "at least one" unless expressly specified to the contrary.

The phrase "and/or" as used in this specification and claims should be understood to mean "one or two" of the elements so combined, i.e., elements that are present in combination in some cases and are present in isolation in other cases. Multiple elements listed with "and/or" should be interpreted in the same manner, i.e., "one or more" of the elements so combined. In addition to the elements specifically identified with the "and/or" clause, other elements may optionally be present, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified.

As used herein in the specification and claims, "or" should be understood to have the same meaning as "and/or" as defined above. For example, when separating items in a list, "or" and/or "should be interpreted as being inclusive, i.e., containing at least one, but also including several elements or lists of elements, and optionally additional more than one of the unlisted items. Terms explicitly indicating the contrary, such as "only one" or "exactly one" or "consisting of when used in a claim, are meant to include exactly one of a number of elements or a list of elements. In general, the term "or" as used herein should only be construed to indicate an exclusive alternative (i.e., "one or the other but not both") to the exclusive term (such as "either," "one of," "only one of," or "exactly one").

As used herein in the specification and claims, with respect to a list of one or more elements, the phrase "at least one" should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including at least one of each element specifically listed in the list of elements, and not excluding any combination of elements in the list of elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally be present in addition to the elements specifically identified within the list of elements to which the phrase "at least one" refers, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified.

It should also be understood that, in any method claimed herein that includes more than one step or action, the order of the steps or actions of the method is not necessarily limited to the order in which the steps or actions of the method are recited, unless specifically indicated to the contrary.

In the claims, as well as in the specification above, all transitional phrases such as "comprising", "including", "carrying", "having", "containing", "involving", "holding", "consisting" and the like are to be understood as open-ended, i.e. to mean including but not limited to. Only the transition phrases "consisting of" and "consisting essentially of" should be closed transition phrases or semi-closed transition phrases, respectively.

Although several inventive embodiments have been described and illustrated herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision one or more of a variety of other means and/or structures for performing the function and/or obtaining the result and/or the advantages described herein, and each of such variations and/or modifications is deemed to be within the scope of the inventive embodiments described herein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are meant to be exemplary and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and/or configurations will depend upon the specific application or applications for which the teachings of the present invention is/are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific embodiments of the invention described herein. It is, therefore, to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto, embodiments of the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described and claimed. Inventive embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to each individual feature, system, article, material, kit, and/or method described herein. In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods, if such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods are not mutually inconsistent, is included within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A drive train assembly (100, 200) for a personal care appliance (10), the drive train assembly comprising:

a resonator (110) connected to a transmission member (24), the transmission member (24) being configured to transmit oscillations to a detachable accessory; and

a drive coil (120) configured to oscillate the resonator in a first direction;

wherein the drive coil is configured to generate a mount signal or a dismount signal in response to a mounting or dismounting of the detachable accessory, wherein the mounting or dismounting of the detachable accessory generates a movement of the resonator in a second direction;

wherein the drive train component is configured to transmit the generated mounting signal or dismounting signal to a controller (30).

2. The drivetrain assembly of claim 1, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

3. The drivetrain assembly of claim 1, wherein the installation signal or removal signal is interpreted by the controller as an installation or removal, respectively, of the removable accessory.

4. The drive train component of claim 1, wherein components of the received installation or removal signal transmitted from the drive train component are filtered out by the controller, the filtered out components including a signal generated by oscillation of the resonator in the first direction.

5. The drivetrain assembly of claim 1, wherein the received installation signal or removal signal transmitted from the drivetrain assembly enables a determination of which of a plurality of users is installing or removing the removable accessory.

6. A personal care appliance (10) comprising:

a controller (30);

a removable accessory (14); and

a drive train assembly (100, 200) comprising: a resonator (110) connected to a transmission member (24), the transmission member (24) being configured to transmit oscillations to the detachable accessory; and a drive coil (120) configured to oscillate the resonator in a first direction;

wherein the drive coil is configured to generate a signal in response to installation or removal of the detachable accessory, wherein the installation or removal of the detachable accessory generates movement of the resonator in a second direction;

wherein the controller is configured to receive the generated signal and is further configured to interpret the signal as an installation or removal of the detachable accessory.

7. The personal care appliance of claim 6, wherein the second direction of motion is perpendicular to the first direction.

8. The personal care appliance of claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured to filter out components of the received installation or removal signal communicated from the drive train assembly, the components including a signal generated by oscillation of the resonator in the first direction.

9. The personal care appliance of claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured to determine which user of a plurality of users is installing or removing the detachable accessory based on the received signal.

10. A method (900) of detecting the mounting or dismounting of a detachable accessory (14) of a personal care apparatus (10), the method comprising the steps of:

providing (910) a personal care apparatus, the personal care apparatus comprising: a removable accessory (14); a resonator (110) connected to a transmission member (24), the transmission member (24) being configured to transmit oscillations to the detachable accessory; and a drive coil (120) configured to oscillate the resonator in a first direction;

generating (930) a mounting signal or a dismounting signal, wherein the mounting signal or the dismounting signal is generated by the drive coil by the resonator in response to a movement of the detachable accessory in a second direction;

communicating (940) the generated install signal or detach signal to a controller (30) of the personal care device; and

interpreting (950), by the controller, the generated signal as a user's mounting or dismounting of the detachable accessory.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the second direction of motion is perpendicular to the first direction.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of: filtering (942), by the controller, a component of the received signal, the component comprising a signal generated by oscillation of the resonator in the first direction.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of: in response to receiving the generated signal, enabling (944), by the personal care device, a wake-up function.